 | Belize Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 293 |  |
After finishing our morning Zoo excursion, we and our Canadian friends drove off in our rental for the Hopkins area. However, a half-hour later, we made a stop at the small Guanacaste National Park, located beside the highway where we had to swing off toward Belmopan and the southeast.
This 50-acre remnant of the tropical forests of Belize is managed by the Belize Audubon Society and has a small visitor's centre with information on the Park's trails, flora and fauna (US$2.50 pp entry fee) as well as toilet facilities. We headed off on one of their shorter jungle trails that leads to the park's namesake - a huge Guanacaste tree. Also known as a Tubroos, these trees have a trunk diameter of of more than 6 feet and are usually festooned with vines and epiphytes hanging from the branches high above. These trees were prime targets for loggers but, because this particular 100-year old specimen had a partially broken trunk, it is guessed that it was bypassed for choicer victims. It was quite a sight to behold (check out the 2nd & 3rd photos), as were the many tropical birds that inhabit this little bit of forest where Roaring Creek flows into the larger Belize River.
Continuing our jungle trail walk from the Guanacaste tree, we came to the small Roaring Creek tributary of the Belize River. The forest trail followed high above the very deep ravine through which the creek flowed and along which were located various bird watching platforms. Where the Creek meets the river, a large series of wooden platforms and steps built there provide a great viewing area of where these two bodies of water meet. Just a few weeks before we arrived, torrential rains from the record 2005/06 season had caused flooding - in the 4th photo take a look at the brown high water mark on that tree trunk across the creek!! Even the platform we were standing on had various bits of mud deposited on it! Now I could understand why the other tree trunk had been torn loose! Leave a Comment Phone: 501-223-5004Directions: Beside Roaring Creek where the Hummingbird Highway meets the Western Highway, only 2 miles from Belmopan.Website: www.belizeaudubon.org
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Finishing up with Guanacaste National Park, we swung off the Western Highway leading to Guatemala, and headed southeast on the scenic Hummingbird Highway for the 55 mile drive to Hopkins. Now this is a scenic route, the lush green tropical growth immediately being much more appealing than the dryer savannah-type forest along the Western Highway. Obviously, the peaks of the Maya Mountains, through which this road passes, catch more rainfall and the vegetation shows it.
We were thinking of stopping for a look at or dip in the cenote at the Blue Hole National Park along the way, but it clouded over and spit with rain just then, so we decided to keep on rolling. I really enjoyed the rugged peaks along here covered in green forests and with plantations of orange and grapefruit trees on the lower slopes. However, it was frustrating because the vista was so wide-spread that it could not easily be properly captured in a photo (2nd and 3rd photos). It turned out to be a great highway with a few quaint single-lane bridges 4th photo) and it was also interesting to see how an actual orange harvest is carried out as we passed many plantations along the way. We had much better weather on our way back to Belmopan, so I was able to better appreciate the views.
Take this highway if you get the chance - it is paved all the way and smooth (except for speed bumps which are located everywhere in Belize). Leave a Comment Directions: Runs from just outside Belmopan, where it meets the Western Highway, to the outskirts of Dangriga. The highway continues onward to the far south eastern town of Punta Gorda.
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Our main reason for coming to the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary was to take a guided boat-tour of the various waterways for a good look at some of the many species of wildlife to be found here. The tour left at about 6:30 AM and costs US$80 (shared between 1-4 passengers) or $20 per person ( for 5-8 passengers), so we ended up paying $40 for this 3 hour session - and it was well worth it!
Our driver Leny (second photo) did a great job as he took us along the shore toward the causeway, pointing out all sorts of birds and creatures sitting or hiding in the trees or along the edge of the lagoon. One of the most interesting things along here were the Green Iguanas, trying to warm up in the morning sunshine. Known locally as "bamboo chicken", at nearly 7 feet it is the largest lizard in Belize and one of the largest in the world. After a lagoon-side look at some of the houses and Logwood trees in Crooked Tree village, we swung around and headed back along the shore toward the far end of the lagoon.
We had seen quite a few birds on the first part of our voyage, but we really enjoyed the trip down to the far end of the lagoon and then onward into Spanish Creek. Leny continued to impress us with his knowledge and keen eyes in picking out things that we would never have seen as we puttered along. However, we passengers helped him out by spotting a few ourselves as he steered the boat (it was tricky trying to watch for flying birds, ones sitting in tree tops, others hiding among the branches, some swimming and others on nests). So many things were popping up that I had to keep a list of our sightings of various kinds of Hawks, Herons and many other types of birds. The best bird watching trip I ever took!! We also surprised the odd crocodile too as we made our way slowly up the winding creek.
Finally, we turned back for the lodge and it was fantastic sitting up front as we roared around the bends in the warm sunshine! Sue and I just looked at each other and laughed - life was good! Leave a Comment Directions: At Crooked Tree, in the Northern Lagoon and then up Spanish Creek
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The highlight of our stay on Caye Caulker was a 3-hour snorkeling trip we made just a short distance off-shore one morning. After making arrangements the previous evening, we left in the morning with another 11 passengers and 2 crew. All were outfitted with life-jackets, flippers, masks and snorkels (all for our price of US$45 for two). A 115-HP Yamaha engine was soon powering our open boat out to the reef!
Our tour driver took us for a practise run in an area with various corals, and I thought that the colours of the corals and small fish were great! The actual snorkeling was easy, it was just pure fun to float along and take in the sights along this second longest of the world's barrier reefs!
Having mastered our equipment at the first dive site, the boat then took us to Caye Caulker's own 'Shark-Ray Alley' where we were encouraged to interact with the placid Nurse Sharks and Southern Sting-rays to be found there. The place was full of the creatures and they readily approached us, having been conditioned to this by numerous other tourist visits. This photo shows our guide in the water with one of the Sting-rays, showing us how it is done!
The final stop in our snorkeling excursion was at the inside of the reef wall itself. This enabled us to swim right up to the various channels and inlets along the backside of the reef (2nd photo), paying attention not to actually touch anything, where we could examine it up close. We had some really great views of colourful fish here, but I guess I was overly excited from the sharks and rays, managing to forget to bring the underwater camera with me for this session! We lingered here for quite some time before climbing out and getting ourselves organized before the boat headed ashore. The tour price also included a small snack of fruit and bottles of water. The third photo is an underwater shot I took as I approached one of the rays on our earlier stop!
These half day trips are great, with tours at 10:30 am to 1:30 pm & 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, weather permitting. Leave a Comment Directions: A mile off-shore in the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve
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After leaving Bermudian Landing, it was only a short drive to the Belize Zoo, located in the tropical savanna countryside. It is different from most zoos in that it does not import animals from different parts of the world but simply takes in creatures that are native to Central America. The various animals and birds that call the Zoo 'home' have not been captured for the sake of display - they have either been previously injured, are pets given up by owners when things got out of hand or have been seized by the government for illegal ownership. We had found out by chance that it is possible to stay within a mile or so of the Zoo, at the Tropical Education Center (see 'Accommodations'), so we had a great opportunity to really enjoy this collection of creatures as well as link up again with two Canadians we had met on Caye Caulker.
In talking to the staff, we found out that we could take a personally-guided Night Tour of the Zoo, with a side-benefit of allowing a free Day tour the next morning. Our night tour was given by one of the curators at the Zoo and starts with their caged snake and insect collection at the entrance building. Then, various flashlights (torches) were distributed and we headed off into the maze of wooded trails leading throughout the zoo (2nd photo). This photo shows one of their American crocs by day (when we came upon the creature at night, we could see its eyes glowing in our lights as it was submerged at the far end of its pond. It was amazing to watch as the curator called out to it with grunting noises and the eyes slowly slid forward. Eventually it reached land and continued out of the water, stopping only when it reached the fence at our feet!).
They have a great collection of big cats (Jaguars, Pumas, Ocelots, Margay and others) and many other mammals, birds and insects. The Harpy Eagle (3rd photo) is one of the world's largest and can pluck unsuspecting monkeys, like the Spider Monkeys (4th photo) off the tree tops. We really enjoyed this Zoo experience by both night and day! Leave a Comment Address: Mile mark 29 (Km 46) Western HighwayPhone: 501-220-8003Directions: On the Western Highway, about half-way between Belize City and Belmopan and where the little used Coastal Highway meets the Western Highway.Website: http://www.belizezoo.org/
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We were really starting to get into this Belize thing by the time we arrived at the Bird's Eye View Lodge in Crooked Tree village! This was Day 10 of our trip and we had said goodbye to our friends as they continued backpacking toward Panama, while we returned our rental to the International Airport before catching a shuttle to Crooked Tree.
Located on a small island connected to the mainland by a rough 3.5-mile long causeway, the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary is noted for its fastastic bird-watching. The reports are well-founded, as we can attest from an amazing tour of Crooked Tree Lagoon and up Spanish Creek on one of the boats anchored in this photo. More than just that experience made this 2-day stopover a special part of our trip - it was also very relaxing sitting in our little thatched roof shelter on the lakeshore in the 30 C weather, yet feeling totally refreshed by the cool breeze blowing in off the water, as the myriad of birds and animals put on a show for us!
This area of Belize is made up of a mixture of long lagoons, connected by creeks, marshes and logwood tree thickets. As a result, it is a natural for birds and, in fact, we saw many of the same species that we get in eastern Canada - I was wondering where they spent the winter! Crooked Tree island is a different place, in that it is the result of being surrounded by various creeks, which expand into large lagoons during during the wet season and sometimes dry up completely in the summer months. Because of the record breaking hurricane and tropical storm season in 2005/06, the waters were still unusually high when we were there in February, 2006. Even though this area is quite some distance inland from the Caribbean Sea, it is only 10-16 feet (3-5 metres) above sea level, so large amounts of rain water tend to spread out over the flat landscape. Leave a Comment Directions: Swing left off the Northern Highway when travelling from Belize City to Orangewalk
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After leaving Ambergris Cay, we picked up our rental vehicle from the International airport near Belize City, and drove to the Community Baboon Sanctuary located only 13 miles (21 km) away at Bermudian Landing. This area of Belize was set aside by the local population to help preserve the endangered Black Howler Monkey population (locally referred to as 'baboons') while at the same time, providing the villagers with additional income. Shortly after crossing the Belize River and it's protected 60-foot (18-m) wide swath of trees on each bank, as shown here, we arrived in the small village.
As part of the effort to preserve their Howler Monkey population, the over 200 members of the local villages agreed not to cut the types of trees which provide the main food source for the monkeys and also to leave narrow forested strips between their cultivated fields, so the monkeys could continue to use the aerial pathways that they were used to.
We soon found their small museum and office, and the US$5 pp cost of admission provided for a local guide who took us on a tour of the many trails along the banks of the Belize River where the monkeys nest. He took off down the road on his bicycle for a short distance, as we followed in our rental, before we all headed off into the forest on foot (2nd photo).
The Black Howler Monkeys found here are one of six species found in the tropical rain forests of southern South America, Boliva and Central America. Their head and body length of about 2-3 feet (combined with equal tail length dimensions) makes them one of the largest monkey types found in the Americas. The male monkeys have a jaw structure that allows them to make very load echoing calls to stake out their territory. These 'howls' can be heard for about 2 miles (3 km) in a jungle environment . Although I did not get many good camera shots of the moving monkeys in the dense foliage (3rd photo), we were more successful with action shots on the video camera that Sue was using. Leave a Comment Phone: 501-220-2181Directions: Bermudian Landing, take the spur road off the highway between the International Airport and HattievilleOther Contact: baboon@btl.net
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After our drive down the Hummingbird Highway, we lucked out in Hopkins by managing to find accommodations! Although the beach at our Whistling Seas Vacation Inn had not been swept clear of debris washed from the Caribbean Sea and the seating arrangements were a trifle rudimentary, we all immediately liked the overall ambiance of the seaside in Hopkins. With beautiful coconut palms lining the shore, Frigate birds majestically patrolling overhead and strong winds and waves coming ashore in the tropical temperatures - it seemed that we had found another little piece of paradise!
We spent a lot of our time here, chatting away as we sipped our cold Belikin beers under the palm trees. In fact, we were doing just that when someone spotted creatures swimming just off-shore, parallel to the beach. At first I thought they must be Dolphins, but one of the regular visitors mentioned that Manatees swim along here! Sure enough, a closer look at the large brown backs surfacing every now and again confirmed it. As it turns out, the Sittee River empties into the Caribbean Sea just south of Hopkins, and it is common for these endangered animals to swim out and along the beach here. It was not long before Sue and I were in the water, wading out quite some distance for a closer look with our bird-watching binoculars. Manatees are warm-blooded vegetation-eating mammals, weighing between 300-500 kg (600-1200 lb.) and can reach lengths of 4-m (13-ft.). These particular ones are part of the West Indian species (with the only two others being Amazonian and West African). Just seeing Manatees was a 'first' for us, even if it was impossible to get photos due to the sporadic nature of the brief surfacings of their backs!! Leave a Comment Directions: The small village of Hopkins, not far down the coast from the much larger Dangriga.
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The majority of Mayan activity in Belize was between 2000 BC to 1000 AD. But Mayans still live in Belize, especially in the southern part. Belize has one of the oldest known Mayan sites at Cuello; one of the longest occupied Mayan sites at Lamanai; and one of the largest jade carvings ever found at Altun Ha.
Cahal Peche is a few minutes walk from San Ignacio and very accessible. It was a major ceremonial center. There are 34 structures on about 2 acres. Leave a Comment
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Hitching a ride with another guest at Crooked Tree, our next stop was outside San Ignacio, on the Guatemala border. A major attraction that was within easy walking distance of our accommodations were the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich. We spent our first morning exploring what was left of this site - first settled between 200-500 AD with the peak years of this small settlement being between 700-900 AD. This is a relatively small site as Mayan ones go, so it makes for a good half-day trip! We were out and about early (8:30 AM), so it was quite a peaceful stroll up the 2-km entrance road to the Xunantunich Archaeological Reserve (US$5 pp entry).
After looking at several interesting relics of stone stella and a historical overview of Xunantunich located in buildings to protect them from the elements, we continued into the main part of the ruins where we first saw the main temple of El Castillo. Situated on a limestone ridge, it has a great view from the top as you can see here. The 2nd photo shows this 135-ft (40-m) high structure, with intricate 10-ft (3-m) high carvings on two of it's faces - with the larger (Eastern) of these friezes protected by a replica artifical covering, with me standing below the frieze for scale. Steps lead to the top of the pyramid from two sides and although steep, are not difficult to climb.
It was great being atop El Castillo in the almost total silence, except for the refreshing breeze that helped to cool us down after our climbing exertions, and to be able to look down on the Xunantunich site itself to get a different perspective of the other buildings. However, it was not long before we noticed the first tour crowd arriving. Although they busied themselves at the far end of the site for a while, some very small people could soon be seen drifting toward the main attraction of the Reserve (3rd photo). Although the side of the pyramid looks to angle down very sharply here, it was not actually too bad to navigate. Leave a Comment Address: 8 miles west of San Ignacio, at San JoseDirections: Local bus from San Ignacio, ask to be let off at Xunantunich. From there take the free, hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River then walk 2kms uphill to the ruins.Website: http://www.belizex.com/xunantunich.htm
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on November 17, 2006
on May 24, 2004
